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Media Release

First Digital Licences Ready For Download Mid 2016

25 November 2015

NSW Minister for Finance and Services Dominic Perrottet today announced the first three government licences will be available in a digital format from mid-2016.

“In 2015 our citizens are mobile and digital and that’s where the government should be too,” said Mr Perrottet. “The introduction of the NSW Digital Licence will mean the days of multiple plastic cards clogging up precious wallet-space are numbered.”

The first licences transitioning to the new digital platform will be the Recreational Fishing Fee, Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) Competency Cards.

Mr Perrottet said the initiative was more than just displaying licences on a smartphone.

“This technology will allow our citizens to display, apply, update and renew their licences using their smartphone, with real time information also available,” he said. “The Digital Licence will also have security safeguards built in, with authorities able to more easily verify the validity of these licences.”

Minister for Justice, Troy Grant, said digitising the RSA and RCG Competency Cards would benefit the hospitality industry.

“Going digital will allow RSA and RCG Cards to be delivered without delay and make it easier for workers and licensees to meet their compliance obligations,” he said.

Minister for Primary Industries, and Minister for Lands and Water, Niall Blair, said the new Digital Licence would make it easier and simpler for people who wanted to fish in NSW to pay the fee and access important licence information.

“A new digitised Recreational Fishing Fee will provide anglers with easy access to bag limits, catch restrictions and maps, helping them do the right thing” Mr Blair said.

NSW currently issues more than 23 million licences each year, covering 769 different licence types. Additional Digital Licences will progressively be available to customers with another five common licence types expected to roll out by early 2017. The Digital Driver Licence is expected to be available by the end of 2018.